mikelink45

They are stuck at catcher - Vasquez does not have the value that his salary suggests so a trade would mean eating some of the money and if that is the case would the amount we have to absorb and the cost of another catcher be much less than what we are paying Vasquez? Do they really trust Camargo? I want the young players who got their experience in the rotation to build on it and thus I would trade Paddock. Too many health issues to feel confident with him. It is too hard to speculate on the roster when the finances are such a mystery.

If this were on the Athletic there would be a least improved or least valuable choice. We have some choices if we made this selection, and I would nominate Julien as my most disappointing player with Varland a close second. (of course I am ignoring all the great RP we signed and DFA'd). If this were improvement within the season Wallner would be my choice from demotion to near star status.

I have no viable answer to this question, but I do wonder what the catcher hierarchy is in the minors. Is Camargo the only answer to the up next question? Who else is in the realistic mix for the next two years? We know that 2025 is the last year for Vasquez regardless of a trade or not. If we trade either, we will not have the resources to replace them on a trade or FA market.

One of many misses by the organization over the years. His pitching motion was so unique. Loved to watch him work. 229 wins when we valued wins and pitchers actually started and finished their games. He completed 187. His ERA 3:30, his whip 1.199. 66.1 WAR. He deserved more attention.

Our problem is both philosophical and financial. We signed two very good players to to two very large contracts and then reduce the overall budget. You can't have at all. I don't blame the players for taking those big contracts, but what is our overall philosophy? What guides the decisions for this team?

I am overwhelmed by the comments. I don't really care what their budget is. What I want is good baseball. I want to see some speed on the bases, I want to see some good Fielding, and I'd like to see us utilize our players to their fullest extent. . But I can't get into the angst and name Calling that has taken over The comments here.

I look at Rooker as a precautionary example. Kiriloff still has potential. What does it hurt to hold on for another year?

I keep Keirsey and Lee. I see McCusker getting a chance 1B or DH and I keep wondering if there isn't another catcher in the system who is going to pass.Camargo.

How about cuts in the analytics department?

It will be interesting if this is accurate. Lots of fall guys and very few of significance.

This year there is no MVP. In a year when all the blame gets put on the assistant coaches, it's hard to think of any player that raised the bar. I believe the description for this year is total system failure from ownership on down.

Past winners are any indication this is not much of an award.

Who knows??? What does this coach do? And does he need an assistant?

Margot,0 - 30. Rocco gets an F.

Excellent and sad at the same time. Everything written is true.

This is a difficult prospect. First of all, grades should be based on expectations and performance. So Correa and Buxton would be downgraded by me. C+ is the max. We are paying them to be much more than just good players. In the twins world they are paid exorbitant. Doesn't matter what the rest of the league pays. As a twin we expected much more. And they were missing during the most crucial. When the team absolutely fell apart. I would downgrade Jeffers half a grade and raise Miranda half a grade. I think Lee deserves a grade you gave him and I would certainly reduce the grade for Lewis. Great that he had a wonderful start to the year, and I know injuries play into things by hitting, But when he came back we needed him to step up in the star realm that he has projected himself as a man who never does slumps. Wallner not only deserves his grade, but actually is part of the reason why we need to downgrade the front office and coaches as well. Yes he got off to a slow start, that happens. Most of our team did including our free agent signings. But they waited way too long to bring them back up after he demolished AAA.

This had to be a difficult summary to write. There really isn't a lot of positive around this team at this point. As another of your writers questioned our loyalty to the twins, we are left with a question of who the twins really are. This winter is going to be a very important one if the twins team wants to bring back positive relationship with the community and fans. With all the other teams that we have to choose from the twins are quickly going to move from the attention of all, but the craziest of us baseball fans.

Does this really matter? He's a good player, not a superstar. And he was gone for a prolonged period of time during which the team started to crumble. So he made a hundred games. I'm glad

I like a lot of the things that you write, but I take exception to this. Fans are fickle in many ways, no matter what. The sport and the twins have a long history starting with Calvin Griffith in which we have had a bad interaction between the team leaders and the general population. Some of it comes from stadium issues, some dates back to when Calvin drove rod Carew and others out. Some of it relates to when the Pohlads were ready to have the team eliminated from the league. Is it downsizing. Then they continue downsizing with their own team even when we feel like we're on the cusp of something really good. So yes, I follow the twins through all their ups and downs. But like many of us in the country I am a radio fan and I know some would be TV fans if they could get the TV channel. Our area is filled with every major sport you can ask for and we are in every league in every season. But we're also a state that loves to be outdoors on the water and the forest and the parks. And an afternoon in the ballpark isn't always as attractive as you might expect. I think you can also see a real change in youth sports. When I was young, lacrosse was something we read about in the history books and now our grandchildren all play it. Soccer was a European sport and now it is everywhere. Basketball is inexpensive and can be played one-on-one. There are just a lot of good options. For me I will always follow the twins, but my loyalty might be questioned since I'm not really anxious to make the drive to the cities to see the games and then drive home. And it's not inexpensive to stay in the twin cities overnight. I actually do appreciate your raising this question and I'm not sure I did an adequate job of giving you my perspective.

In sports like baseball where turnover is not only a choice of the team but something demanded by players. There is no reason to apologize for those who wanted to trade Kepler and move on. Nor is there any reason that those same fans can't appreciate that he did have loyalty and stay on as long as he did. I wish him well. I've been watching other former twins prospects and players do well in the leagues and maybe Kepler will find a new level with a new place.

Right now we are staying with a family that's about as local as you can get. But don't worry, we have been eating all over Europe this trip and others before. But thanks for caring.

I won't feel bad about spending another 10 days in Italy. Looks like there's no reason to hurry back for the baseball season. Showed you to post a picture

Ask Oakland how plans like those discussed work out.

But what would the medical staff do?

I'm not holding my breath for the playoffs. Just enjoying each game. And this was a game in which the Marlins demonstrated. What a really bad team can be. It was a good lesson and the fact that Fielding is the third component in a good team. Beyond batting and pitching.